Big thanks to HammerTide for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and critic.
Author's notes at the end for anybody who wants to see me ramble a bit more about this chapter.
Since Shin was going back to the forest solo, it really only took a few hour for him to be re-equipped and and supplied to go back...but he had requested his departure be delayed until the day after tomorrow because there was someone he had to let know first about his mission. Military protocols be damned.
If he was still a young man and way too damn rigid and took his job way too seriously, then he would no doubt be chastising himself for breaking protocol.
But it's not in good taste to leave your wife hanging is there ?
Right now he was sitting on the couch in their living room like a freaking idiot trying to figure out how to tell Mei about this.
" What's with the long face baby ? " Mei's voice broke through his internal panic and he turned to see her approach him with a concerned look in her eye.
" Nothing Mei-"
" Shin I've lived, slept and been married to you long enough to know when something is wrong " Mei said with a longing look " Just tell me..."
Shin let out a sigh, he supposed there was no point beating around the bush about it.
" Well you know that assignment I was given by Fire Lord Zuko to find Princess Azula ? "
" Yeah ? "
"...I've just been redeployed...and I'm going back solo " Shin admitted.
" WHAT !? " Mei yelled out " How could they do that ?! Has the Fire Lord lost his-"
" Hey, hey , hey ! Calm down...they're not forcing me...I volunteered "Shin clarified and that made Mei go silent.
Thankfully Mei didn't blow up right away and instead went quiet which just made Shin a hundred times more afraid than when he encountered that Spirit Lady in the Forest.
" First off...have you gone insane ?! " Mei shouted " And secondly have you gone insane !?"
Shin took it in stride, this was honestly what he expected.
" I have not baby...but I offered to go back to the forest solo because my team has been completely worn out...and if this Fire Lady strikes again we won't lose too many skilled Archers..." Shin sadly.
" Is that how you see yourself ? A disposable resource for the Fire Lord to throw away and feel bad about for like 5 minutes before sending another poor sap into that Forest ? " Mei said in anger and sadness.
" You know he isn't like that..."
" I know...but it doesn't make it any less hurtful " Mei said " Goddamnit Shin don't you know you could die ! That this might be the last time we...we..."
Mei couldn't even finish her sentence as she started to cry and it tore Shin's heart to see her like that.
" Come here Mei..." Shin said pulling her into a hug.
Mei cried into his shoulder as he held her close, the two of them whispering to each other.
" Don't leave..."
" I don't want to "
" Then why are you ? "
" Because its my duty...and I also have a duty to you " Shin said as he pulled away " I promise that I'll be back baby..."
" Promise ? "
" Promise "
The two stared at each other, Shin wiping tears away from Mei's eyes before the two kissed each other , going through the process of removing each other's clothing and making love right then and there on the couch.
This was the last time they would see each other for a while. They were going to make it last.
The night was long and a mess...but it was undoubtedly one of the best they've had.
Over the course of the next few days, Azula had acquired a new ability from Kazumi's Apprentice power : Pull or tethering as Kazumi sometimes referred to it as.
Azula had to admit that when she asked Kazumi how new powers would manifest within her, she could not prepare for the sudden jolt in the middle of the night and waking up in a cold sweat to find her left hand smoking. And after Kazumi got a look at her, she could sense that the power that had manifested was indeed the Pull power.
Azula briefly wondered how Kazumi could sense exactly which of her powers had manifested within Azula but shrugged it off. She could ask later.
Right now, they were beginning practice on this new power. They were standing in front of the house dressed in their usual training gear.
" Alright Azula, to understand tethering you must first focus on the object you wish to pull towards you, channel your spirit power and manifest it through the tethering itself " Kazumi explained " Now we're going to start off simple, its always a good idea to start with light and small objects before moving onto the bigger items "
Azula nodded, she couldn't argue with that logic. And she wanted to learn more about this power since it was what had saved her back when they were training with transversals.
Kazumi stepped forward and placed a rock on a nearby log, just a little distance away from them.
" Now Azula I want you to try and focus the power on the rock and pull it towards you " Kazumi instructed " Take a deep breath and let it happen "
Azula took a deep breath as she held out her hand like Kazumi would, she felt herself channel the spirit power within her. She felt it begin to manifest as her hand glowed and the green force started to come out.
She focused the power in the stone...and she felt herself touch it ? Despite not laying a finger on it.
She focused the power and pulled the rock toward her-
Unfortunately with a lot more force than required, which caused the rock to come flying towards her.
" Duck !" Kazumi shouted as she pushed Azula's head down and the rock went flying over her head and into the grass behind her.
The two looked at each other at the near close call that Azula just had.
" Maybe we should try have you pull something that isn't a rock " Kazumi suggested.
" Yeah..." Azula said with a chuckle.
They tried again, this time Kazumi using a rubber ball she used to play with as a child.
" Okay Azula, again try to focus on the object and pull it towards you but this time try to control the speed of how fast you pull the object to you " Kazumi advised.
It took a few tries but Azula was eventually able to get it down. Managing to finally master the art of pulling small objects to her.
Azula focused the power , felt herself touch the ball and pull it towards her, she herself managing to control the flow of power so it didn't come barreling towards her so fast like the rock so she caught it with her hand.
" Excellent job Azula, you've finally managed to get the tethering of small objects down " Kazumi congratulated her " Pull is a very useful ability. Not only for its...pull aspect, but it can also be used to hold a target in place "
" Is there a limit for how big the target has to be for the pull to work properly ? " Azula asked.
Kazumi put a hand to her chin in thought " At most the size of an average human and smaller, but it is possible to tether bigger objects if two people are using tether on it simultaneously "
Kazumi stretched her arms " For now though, let's take a break "
Azula nodded " Say how long does it take for more powers to manifest in me ? "
" You obviously won't gain all of my powers, but most of the useful ones " Kazumi answered " My mother had around 25 abilities, counting both passives and active abilities, and I gained 14 of them through the Apprentice Power before I received my own Mark "
" Wait, passives ? " Azula raised an eyebrow.
" Supernatural abilities that perform passively and don't require the users attention to use it, most of the time at least " Kazumi explains.
" Okay...and you said something about a Mark ? " Azula said with slight worry.
" Yes, at some point or another, the Apprentice shall be given their own Mark by the Mother of Faces during a time when deemed appropriate and will start to develop their own supernatural powers " Kazumi explained " They're not all the same and some powers are unique to certain Spirit Navigators " Kazumi showed Azula her left hand, the one that would usually glow with white smoke and before her eyes some kind of strange tattoo appeared on Kazumi's hand.
" Incredible..." Azula nodded along.
Kazumi smiled " Indeed. The powers we are gifted give us quite an edge over our foes more times than not "
" Wonder when I will be given my own Mark..." Azula said as she sat down on the grass.
" I'm sure the mother of faces will gift it to you when she believes you need or are worthy "
Azula stopped at those words. Worthy...
For so long, she had worked to prove herself worthy to her father, to prove herself more worthy than Zuko, to prove to the whole of the Fire Nation that she was worthy...
But what does that really mean to her anymore ? Because what's the point of being 'worthy' if you must deal with such constant pain and discipline all the time.
It makes her think back to the conversation she had with Kazumi a while back, about her future and what she intends to do... it makes her wonder if anything has changed about herself. What that phantom hallucination of herself said to her...that deep down she's still the same monster, just that she's finally found somebody who pitied her enough to put up with her ?
She doesn't know anymore and she hated not knowing.
Azula turned to Kazumi who was sitting besides her " Hey Kazumi...can I ask you something ? "
" Sure Azula, what is it ? "
" Do you...do you think I've changed since I've come here ? " Azula asked quietly.
" What brought this on ? "
" I've just been thinking a lot about my life from before...my family and all...who I used to be...I've wondered a lot whether I've actually changed or has my environment just changed a little " Azula confessed looking down at the grass.
Kazumi thought long and hard about what to say before she spoke.
" I...can't speak much for how you were before Azula " Kazumi said bluntly " But based on how you were when you first arrived here and now...I think you really have improved. You're calmer, you're more trusting and you seem a bit more happier here "
Azula thought about what Kazumi said...she supposes she can't deny that her overall mental state has improved since she got here...and perhaps she has been happier than she's ever been in a long while since she met Kazumi.
" I guess you're right about that..." Azula said as the two continued to look out at the lake.
A calming and pleasant silence maintained between the two of them.
Shin took a deep breath as he stood at the gate of the city, on the path that would take him back to Hira'a and the Forgetful Valley. A high class ostrich horse picked by him to ensure that he could get back to the Forest with all haste, was ready to depart with him.
His wife Mei stood there with him, she wore a calm smile.
" Looks like its time for me to go " Shin said.
They both shared a simple kiss before Shin turned and mounted his steed.
" You better come back to me " Mei called out to him and he could practically feel her smirk.
" Don't worry...I will " Shin said with a smile as he rode off for Hira'a with a renewed determination in his heart.
Despite being the ex-Fire Lord, Ozai was not given any special or intense security measures. Zuko must have thought that without his bending he was completely helpless, hence why the prison he was in was lightly guarded. The only exception was his meal times.
Like any good prisoner, Ozai was given three meals a day, but the interesting part was that the guard who brought the food was required to watch him eat. No doubt to make sure that he doesn't the utensils to try and break out. Smart move honestly. His skills were not confined to firebending alone.
Ozai sat calmly in his cells , crossed legs, meditating on his next move and plan.
He could hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the hallway outside. It seemed it was time for lunch.
He heard voices outside the cell, followed by the door opening and walked in was a guard. No older than 23. Carrying his food for the afternoon.
The man didn't speak a word as the metal door behind him shut and he approached the bars and laid the tray near to his feet.
Ozai didn't speak a word either, as he calmly approached the bars and grabbed his food. The man staying to watch him eat.
Or at least that's what they've had Zuko believe for the past few months.
" Status report, what are our numbers ? " Ozai asked.
" 500 and growing, my liege. There are many former and current military who are upset with your son's pathetic reforms of the Fire Nation "
" What are the current advisors, ministers and remaining generals perception towards my son ? "
" Most of them are very unhappy with him. The boy is completely out of his league and incompetent at ruling the Fire Nation" The man answered " I believe we will be able to sway most of them join us soon enough "
" Good...very good " Ozai said with a smirk.
" Poverty and famine are also on the rise and it won't be long before public opinion is against him too. That will surely help bolster our support and have more men and women join our ranks "
" And what of the court ? The nobles in thoughts on him ? "
" Unpleasant. With poverty in the rise and the fool continuing paying reparation money to the other nations , the nobles are losing money and are very unhappy with him "
Ozai chuckled " It seems the whole of the Fire Nation is against him...lovely "
" As they should be, my liege "
" And what is the status of my daughter ? Have they found her yet ? "
" No my liege, the tracker your son sent out found almost no traces of her, the leader just set out for the Forgetful Forest again this afternoon " The man answered " Should we deploy our own forces to search for Princess Azula ? "
" No, I believe my daughter is still alive and will return in due time. And why waste our resources when we can let my son do our work for us ? " Ozai mused " Continue gathering more men and stay on standby for further orders "
" Yes, my liege " The man said as he picked up the tray and was about to leave when he turned his head slightly to Ozai " Permission to speak freely sir ? "
" What is it ? "
" Why did you not simply have us kill your wife's lover ? If we had used a stronger poison, he would have been dead in less than a minute before they could do anything ? Moreover, why not simply kill your treasonous son and take the Throne ? "
Ozai was quiet for a moment before he chuckled.
" Why you ask ? " Ozai said " Because I enjoy making the boy feel like he's in control, that he has any claim to the Throne and that he's able to control anything. I enjoy making him cower in terror at the thought that I could have him killed at any time... does that answer your question ? "
" Yes, my liege " The man bowed before he left.
Ozai was only telling the man half the truth. The real reason he has not killed Zuko was because he wanted to test the boy. To see if he could actually be of service to him once again.
He almost found it embarrassing how easily he was essentially running a full on coup against Zuko from within the confines of a cell. This was honestly a new low for his son.
" You may have the crown and the Throne Zuko...but you forgot the most important rule when playing the Game of Thrones...never let your stronger and more influential competition live "
Now let's see if you can hold on to your honor.
Ahhhhh...you all have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this reveal and I felt that now it couldn't be delayed any further.
Originally I didn't plan for Ozai to still be the big bad, but I think its thematically fitting that its still him because he still holds a lot of sway with the Fire Nation without his bending. And I wanted to show how he was still very dangerous even without it, considering how I just revealed that he's been the one who's been puppeteering and orchestrating the entire resistance against Zuko.
And like Ozai said, he could kill Zuko and his family at any point...but he doesn't. Because he still wants the satisfaction of molding the boy into being more like him. Be it out of desire to continue his line or pettiness, I'll let you decide.
Hope you all enjoyed the parts with Shin and his wife, I didn't plan on making him a huge character but he's honestly starting to grow on me a lot more since I started writing this story. Let me say that this moment of levity will not last.
And Azula receives a new power in this chapter, with many more to come.
Now join me in the next chapter of this trio update.
